Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 01/18/1983
NRHP Listing Date 09/08/1983
NRHP Reference Number 83003317
Spotsylvania Court House, established on what was once the main road from Richmond to Fredericksburg, was the site of one of the most vicious and bloody struggles of the Civil War. In and around the tiny village in May 1864 the Union army suffered 18,000 casualties and the Confederates under General Lee experienced an estimated 9,000 killed or wounded, with neither side claiming a clear victory. The Tuscan-porticoed courthouse, completed in 1840 by Malcolm F. Crawford, who participated in the construction of the University of Virginia, was largely rebuilt because of heavy damage sustained during the conflict. Remaining in the village are four other buildings standing at the time of the battle: a ca. 1800 tavern, two antebellum churches, and a ca. 1840 farmhouse. Also within the district is the Confederate cemetery, located on what was the principal Confederate defense line.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: October 13, 2021
